Emmy Nominated Producer and Viral Podcaster Laterras Whitfield Charges FAMU Graduates to Activate Their Divine DNA
Tallahassee, Fla.—Florida A&M University’s Summer 2025 Commencement celebrated nearly 500 graduates on Friday, Aug. 1, at the Alfred Lawson Multipurpose Center. Among them was honorary doctorate recipient Patrice J. Minor-Floyd, a distinguished violinist, educator, and community leader.
The keynote speaker was Laterras R. Whitfield, CEO of Whitfield Films, a three-time Emmy-nominated producer and host of the award-winning podcast "Dear Future Wifey."
Student Government Association President and FAMU Board of Trustees member Zayla Bryant greeted the crowd.
"Today we celebrate the oh so live Class of 2025—a class of leaders, innovators, and culture shapers," said the business administration scholar from Atlanta. She reminded graduates that they were leaving the nation's No. 1 public HBCU for the sixth straight year. "You are entering a world that needs your voice, your leadership, and your light," she added.
Interim President Timothy L. Beard, Ph.D., presiding over his final FAMU commencement, said, "Today is a celebration of perseverance, purpose, and promise," before introducing Whitfield, whose journey, Beard said, “reminds us that success is not just about what you build but who you become in the process.”
Summer 2025 Commencement Speaker Laterras Whitfield addressed the graduates source
of purpose and potential during his keynote on Friday, Aug. 1. (Photo by Glenn Beil/Office
of Communications)
The Divine DNA
Whitfield opened with a profound analogy correlating the divine story of creation
and the graduates' purpose, from light chasing away darkness, to the formation of
land, sea, and sky. Even the animal kingdom burst forth in full expression—running,
flying, crawling, and roaring.
With a playful nod, Whitfield added that even Dory from “Finding Nemo” reminded us to "just keep swimming," noting that when God creates, it is not only with purpose and personality—but occasionally with a Pixar plot twist.
But then, he said, what came next was not just another command—it was deeply personal and intentional. Rather than speaking humanity into being, God formed it by hand, declaring, “Let us make man in our image.” It was a sacred turning point, Whitfield noted.
Graduates showed up and showed out with their decorative caps, repping everything
from their major to a favorite Bible verse. (Photo by Glenn Beil/Office of Communications)
“He looked at his masterpiece and still said, ‘Let there be you.’ And he didn’t just stop there because in 1887, God looked at the future of black excellence, academic achievement, and generational impact, and said, ‘Let there be FAMU,’” he said.
Whitfield reminded the graduates that they were not a random collision of molecules, nor a cosmic accident. They were more than just an imprinted name on a degree. He poetically described them as the "intentional echo of a divine whisper." They were made in the creator's image, and in them, he said, lived the same power that shaped galaxies.
Whitfield encouraged the graduates to remember that when they walk into the boardrooms, studios, hospitals, classrooms, courtrooms or creative spaces, they bring more than their talent. “You bring divine DNA,” he said.
He then offered a powerful reinterpretation of DNA—as Divine Nature Activated, urging them to see brilliance as something already within. Everything needed to thrive, create, and lead change already exists within each of them—not to be hidden, but to be activated.
The challenge was not for someday, Whitfield emphasized, but for now. In a job market and economy plagued by uncertainty, graduates were emboldened to not only seek employment, but also consider building, launching, and innovating if opportunity does not arrive.
Whether it meant writing a script, coding an app, starting a nonprofit, or launching a business, his call was clear: let entrepreneurship and creativity guide your path. “You don’t just have potential,” he sermonized. “You have permission.”
Graduates could not contain their excitement as they commemorated the coveted academic
milestone during Friday's commencement at Al Lawson. Photo by Glenn Beil/Office of
Communications)
It's not failure. It's repositioning.
Reflecting on his own story, Whitfield recalled becoming a father at 18 and forgoing college to support his newborn daughter.
“I made the decision to enter the workforce so I could be a constant presence in my daughter's life. I wanted her to know her father, not by name, but by presence,” he said.
However, Whitfield recounted a career littered with rejection. He listed a string of firings from businesses and fast food chains. “Taco Bell—fired. You get fired from Taco Bell, you know you're doing something wrong, don't you?” he joked.
Through every rejection, Whitfield said he discovered that failure is not final and realized that he was not being fired—God was repositioning him for something greater.
Citing Napoleon Hill, he said, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartbreak carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
Looking out at the graduating class, Whitfield expressed deep admiration, recognizing the challenges many had overcome to reach that moment. Though each journey is unique, he said, he sees in them the same thing he eventually saw in himself—purpose.
He recalled how the pandemic brought his production company, Whitfield Films, to a halt. But even in that stillness, he found that purpose wasn’t gone—it was waiting to be rediscovered. Whitfield leaned into his “DNA”. He got creative with the thousands of dollars' worth of production equipment.
“So, I made a decision. I chose to heal publicly in a time of global uncertainty,” he said. “I searched for certainty within, and what I found was this: I needed emotional and relational healing. I didn't just want to carry brokenness into another relationship. I wanted to become a better partner. So, I started the ‘Dear Future Wifey Podcast,’” he said.
Whitfield also spoke about choosing the right partner and how the wrong relationship can pull one away from their destiny. But the right one can launch them into their purpose, but if bad relationships keep showing up, he informed the crowd, “the common denominator is you.”
Family members showed love in a number of ways for their loved ones crossing the stage.
(Photo by Glenn Beil/Office of Communications)
Who's the Imposter?
Whitfield further explained that greatness never comes without resistance.
“You will face detours, you will face delays, you will face doubt. And when life gets loud, remember your origin. Remember that God created you last because he saved the best for last. You are not weak, you are not fragile. You descend from the same creative spirit that held the universe together,” he said.
Winding down, he encouraged graduates to remain connected to their alma mater—not just in memory, but in action. “Come back and mentor a student walking the path you once walked. You come back and recruit rising stars into the company that I prophesied you were going to build. You come back and donate your time, your resources, and your story. You come back to speak, teach, lift as you climb,” he urged.
In a moment of vulnerability, Whitfield admitted to battling imposter syndrome after being invited to deliver the address. Despite his success—including hosting the #1 relationship podcast in the Black community, a 1.5 million-strong social media following, and global speaking engagements—he admitted that part of him still questioned his worthiness.
The doubt was deepened by a negative Instagram comment on a post announcing him as the speaker. Then, a supportive message from a graduating student named Brianna reminded him of his impact.
“That meant the world to me,” he said, giving her a shout-out. He also credited his fiancée for grounding him with the words: "God said it. That settles it.”
In closing, Whitfield charged the scholars: “You are more than a tassel turner. You are more than a graduate. You are a light bearer. You are a mountain mover. You are a generational curse breaker. You are a world changer,” he stressed.
He continued, saying: “You are born for such a time as this. When the world says you're too young, too Black, too female, too male, too radical, too poor, too much, lift your head and declare: “I am created in the image of God.”
FAMU Interim President Timothy L. Beard, Ph.D., presents Summer 2025 Commencement
Keynote Laterras Whitfield with the President's Award. (Photo by Glenn Beil/Office
of Communications)
Made for Purpose
Before taking his seat, Whitfield led the class in a call-and-response:
"When I say created, you say for purpose!”
"Created!"
"For purpose!”
"When I say let there be, you say me!”
"Let there be!"
"Me!”
Applause sprang across the Lawson Center as he then said, “Congratulations, Class of 2025. Make some noise all over this place!”
Returning to the podium, Beard shared parting reflections.
“It is an honor and privilege to stand before you today as I preside over my final commencement exercise as interim president of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University,” he said. “In a sense, we are graduating together.”
He shared that he can relate to closing one chapter and feeling butterflies in his stomach as he considers what is next.
Beard firmly believed that each graduate's future is divinely ordered, with plans far greater than they could imagine. Whether they leave with a job offer in hand, plans for graduate school, or just the relief of finishing—“summa cum laude or ‘thank ya, Lawdy,’” he joked.
The outgoing interim president reiterated that the graduates just received degrees from the number one public HBCU in the world and number 81 among a list of more than 4,000 higher education institutions in America.
Interim President Timothy L. Beard, Ph.D., congratulates a graduate during his last
commencement as FAMU's interim chief in charge. (Photo by Glenn Beil/Office of Communications)
Strike, Strike and Strike Again
Quoting the Apostle Paul, Beard encouraged the graduates to “fight the good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith.” He also reminded them of the sacred responsibility to give back.
With gratitude, he thanked the university for allowing a “little dark-skinned fellow from Port St. Joe” to return and serve the institution that shaped him. “I just wanted to give a little bit back of what I received from her.”
He then invoked the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, saying, “We are going to get to the promised land. I may not get there with you, but we as a university will get to the promised land.”
Beard then offered one last rallying cry:
"When the dark clouds gather… when the muscles are tired and the faith grows faint… always remember: the Rattlers will strike, strike, and strike again. Go out and change the world.”
Smiles and sisterhood: Graduates take in the moment during Florida A&M University’s
Summer 2025 Commencement. (Photo by Glenn Beil/Office of Communications)
A graduate points to the sky in celebration after receiving his degree at Florida
A&M University’s Summer Commencement. (Photo by Glenn Beil/Office of Communications)
A young lady raises her hand in triumph as she receives her degree from Florida A&M
University on Friday, Aug. 1 (Photo by Glenn Beil/Office of Communications)
A young daughter shares in the joyous occasion of commencement with her father. (Photo
by Glenn Beil/Office of Communications)
Media Contact:
Rachel James-Terry
Senior Director of Strategic Communications
rachel.jamesterry@famu.edu
